Late Bloomer
by 2originalcents
Summary: Butters brings out emotions in Cartman he didn't know he could feel.


**Demisexual!Cartman for y'all. **

**Enjoy, reviews are nice, and I own nothing**

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><p>Cartman let the cold water of the shower hit him, but the warmth in his stomach wasn't going away. He concentrated on scrubbing his hair clean, but his mind accidentally wandered to his guest in his bedroom, and the thought hit him like a speeding train.<p>

He didn't know why his body was reacting this way, it was only Butters. They've had countless sleepovers before, there have been countless times when Cartman told him he was going to shower and the blond waited patiently in his room. Tonight shouldn't be different, Butters was going to sleep over, he was taking a shower, this was all routine. But tonight was different, and Cartman knew there was only one way to calm down as he took a deep breath and started stroking himself.

…

Kenny once called Cartman a late bloomer, he said it with the kind of gentleness you tell a crying child that losing is just as good as winning, so long as you tried your best, and Cartman rolled his eyes.

"What does that even mean?" He said.

"It means not to worry your pretty little head that you don't have a date to homecoming," Kenny answered, a grin on his face as he dodged Cartman's blows.

"I was gonna go with Butters, he doesn't have a date either. Is he a late bloomer too?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to call Butters that," Kenny said. He recalled Butters asking him to borrow his porn magazines, something he knew for a fact Cartman had no interest in. "Butters' more of a dweeb. A dweeb that'll show you a real good time if you let him."

When Kenny spoke that way, in innuendo, it was difficult for Cartman to keep up. He agreed that Butters was a dweeb, but he'll show him a 'real good time'? What did that mean? That he could convince him to buy him dinner?

Cartman didn't say any more and Kenny could see him attempting to decipher what he meant. He smiled and rubbed his friend's head.

"It's actually pretty cute for someone who's almost eighteen to be so obtuse about these things."

"About what things?" Cartman asked, the sincere confusion on his face broke Kenny's heart. Kenny waved his hands in front of himself, signaling he would speak no more, and walked away. "Wait, obtuse about what things? You can't just leave me hanging like this, Kenny!"

…

Cartman's experience with girls started and ended when he was eight, and he frankly didn't mind much. No girl ever asked him out, no girl even showed a glimmer of interest, and though in theory he was mildly offended, in practice it was one less concern he had to deal with. He had no interest in any of the girls in his class either, at worst he considered them bitches, at best peers, and the whole spectrum he regarded with romantic neutrality.

When the boys were alone together, talking about their recent conquests, that was the one time he didn't feign knowhow or bravado. Instead he listened, curious and slightly disgusted with how his friends described what they do with their girlfriends behind closed doors. He felt offended on behalf of these girls, knowing how easily reputations can be damaged for having a few too many trysts. But he also wondered how any of that felt like. It all seemed horribly awkward and uncomfortable to him, why would anyone want that?

The boys examined him peculiarly and Cartman was sorry he spoke up at all.

Clyde smirked and Token took it upon himself to cut Cartman some slack.

"Well, I mean, I guess it can be awkward at times, that's why communication is so important. And for a lot of people, they don't want anything unless they feel some emotional connection. So, objectively, maybe to you it seems gross, but in the moment, when you're in love with that person, it isn't at all."

Cartman didn't think that was a good response, but he nodded and kept quiet, wanting everyone's interrogating eyes off of him. Butters bumped his shoulder against Cartman's and offered him some of his fruit snack and a smile to make him feel better. Cartman grabbed a few bits and smiled back at him. He slowly crept closer to Butters until they were pressed against each other, enjoying the strange warmth he felt just by touching him.

…

A week before his eighteenth birthday, Cartman had his first wet dream. He didn't remember much, just that he was naked in his bed and he heard a gentle voice saying his name. He woke up to a sticky sensation between his legs and curled himself into a ball, embarrassed.

All his friends were over their wet dream phases by now, but it seemed his was barely starting.

"This is what he meant by late bloomer," he mumbled to himself under the covers.

His mind leaped to Butters, to his grade school description of wet dreams, that they made him feel really good and that's why his 'goo' would come out. That dream made Cartman feel really good. Nothing much happened, but that calm voice, so inviting it felt like home, he felt his cheeks warm up just thinking about it.

Cartman got out of bed and took a shower that morning, wanting to get this strange sensation of wanting out of his system. He had almost forgotten his dream by the time he got to school, but it all came back to him when Butters spotted him walking towards him and cheerfully greeted, "Good morning, Eric!"

…

"I'm gonna sleep over, right?" Butters asked him. It was Friday after school, the following day was Cartman's birthday, and it had become tradition for Butters to sleep over on the eve of his birthday.

"Duh," Cartman told him. It was so obvious he would he didn't need an invite, but Butters always wanted to make sure for himself.

"All right, I'll see you at nine!" Butters said, hopping out of Cartman's truck towards his house.

"See ya!" Cartman called out to him.

…

Cartman leaned against the cool tiled wall as he started stroking himself. He had never masturbated before, he never needed to, and he wasn't sure he was doing it right, but the sensations shooting through his body from his groin made him think he was on the right track.

...

When he was fifteen, Cartman had a physical and at the end shyly asked his doctor about his lack of a libido. He heard fat could cause that, and fretted that it was finally time to lose the weight. The doctor didn't confirm or deny anything, however. He told him there was nothing wrong with losing some pounds if Cartman truly wanted to, but he couldn't imagine it being the cause of his lack of a sexual appetite. The doctor told him sometimes that just happened, for some people it takes longer to develop those desires, even after going through puberty. And some people may never have those desires. That last part frightened Cartman, but it was also a relief. Others were like him, this was common, he thanked the doctor and stopped forcing himself to feel things he didn't.

...

Cartman could feel something coming, and for the first time in his life he finally understood the expression, but he let go of himself. He was frightened, this was all new to him, and though he mentally told himself this was natural, he wondered why now?

He leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling as he caught his breath. He was still hard, but he felt an empty sensation in the pit of his gut that he wanted to fill, but wasn't sure how.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He reached for his mother's body oil and slathered his right pointer and middle finger with it. Still against the wall, he spread his legs, and rather awkwardly prodded himself with his finger. He gasped and bent over when it went in, overwhelmed by how good one finger felt.

Caught up in the sensation of his finger, his mind started racing until it landed on the image of Butters, and what was already a good feeling became euphoric.

Cartman's heart slammed in his chest as he moved his finger and fantasizes about Butters, who was just across the hall waiting for him.

"Butters..." Cartman gasped, his left forearm resting on the shower door as he braced himself against it. His legs trembled and the sensation of coming was back again, but this time he didn't stop. Instead he inserted his middle finger and stretched himself. He pushed his fingers as far in as they could go.

His toes curled and his eyes shut tight as he came, his whole body feeling it.

He stood straight against the wall again, sighing and panting, his right hand in front of him. He touched his anus again, making sure he didn't cause any damage, and then he washed his hands with shampoo before getting out of the shower.

...

"You must have been really dirty," Butters teased from Cartman's bed. He was laying down reading a book when Cartman came in wearing clean pajamas, his hair damp.

"Yeah," Cartman said, not making eye contact. "What's this?" He asked when he saw a gift wrapped box on his desk.

"Your birthday present," Butters said, sitting up, his legs crossed and his hands on his ankles.

"Can I open it now?"

"Sure, if you want. It's already past midnight."

Cartman grabbed his present and say down on his bed. Butters hopped over to sit next to him.

"I hope you like it," he said, watching Cartman as he unwrapped his gift. "I feel a little bad, I probably should have gotten you something else, but this is with all my heart and something I've been thinking about for a while, too, so uh..." He trailed off once Cartman had the box open and he peered inside.

He pulled out a stuffed frog holding a heart that had 'Be Mine' stitched into it. He turned to Butters for an explanation.

"I, uh, I actually bought it for Valentine's Day," Butters said, rubbing his knuckles together, getting flustered. "But I chickened out, and it's just been sitting in my closet all this time and I really care about you and I think you care about me? I'm sorry, this is so dumb!"

Butters reached to snatch his gift away, embarrassed that he thought this was in any way appropriate, but Cartman quickly pulled it out of his reach.

"I do care about you," Cartman said, looking at Butters, who's on the verge of tears.

"You do?"

Cartman rushed forward and kissed Butters, his left hand cupping the blond's jaw. Butters kissed back, his own hand over Cartman's.

As they kissed, a deep seeded hunger overcame Cartman, and while some pieces of the puzzle came together in the shower, now it all made perfect sense. The uncomfortable wanting, the awkwardness, the inherent human grossness, with Butters he finally understood why anyone would want any of that.

He kissed Butters desperately, afraid he would lose this epiphany otherwise. And Butters kissed back with the same fervor, excited that this long shot worked.

Cartman wrapped his arms around Butters, pulling him as close as possible. Butters cupped Cartman's face with his hands and in their enthusiasm they tipped over onto the bed, becoming a mass of intertwining limbs.

Cartman moaned and Butters sighed his name over and over. It wasn't until Butters reached under Cartman's pants did he realize he was hard again.

"Wait," Cartman said between kisses. "Wait… Hold on…"

"I'm waiting," Butters said, still kissing him back as he withdrew his hand.

They continued making out, both finding it impossible to pull away, but somehow Cartman found the will to do so. He laid on his back, staring at the ceiling, as they both panted. Butters threw his right arm over Cartman's chest, watching him as he caught his breath.

This was all too much for Cartman. That was the first night he ever touched himself, and now he was painstakingly hard again because of Butters. It was a sensory overload.

Butters waited patiently for him to recuperate, but he scooted closer to him, curling into his side so now Cartman could feel his erection against his hip. This was too much, he wanted to leave, but he wanted to stay. He felt panic rise in his chest, but that's when Butters lifted himself up so his head was leaning on his left hand, his right running through Cartman's hair. He hummed softly and he pulled away enough so Cartman couldn't feel his erection anymore.

"Don't worry, we'll go at your pace," Butters said gently. He leaned in and kissed Cartman's cheek, a smile on his lips.

Cartman turned to him, worry on his face. This is what people are suppose to do, what they're suppose to want, and he wanted it. He wanted it with Butters. But he was scared, too. It was too much in such a short period of time. He had to reconcile his feelings for his best friend, to understand these new things his body was doing. He wanted it all, but he was afraid of it all, too. And he didn't know how to explain all this to Butters, how to explain this was the second erection he's ever had in his life, his first was in the shower just now. How to explain that this was so much more than just wanting to take it slow, this was _needing_ to take it slow, because he had to catch up and understand what was happening. And how to explain that he wanted Butters so badly, it frightened him. He had never wanted anyone before, never had an ounce of romantic attraction for anyone, and this quick turnaround of emotions was overwhelming.

"Sorry," Cartman said, his voice coming out strangled. That was the only think he could think of to encapsulate all his feelings.

Butters smiled and shook his head. "Don't apologize. I knew it was going to be like this, and I don't mind at all. I want you to be comfortable, all right? I don't want to push you too hard too fast."

"Thanks," Cartman said, smiling, though he was still worried.

Butters laid his head next to his, and continued running his head through his hair.

Cartman enjoyed the gentle touches, and tilted his head towards Butters so their noses touched. His body was relaxing, that's when he felt himself getting soft, and he tensed back up again, not sure what that meant.

Butters watched him, and then his eyes glanced down. He pressed himself against Cartman again, and this time he was soft against the brunette's hips.

"It's okay, Eric, I'm soft now too. We're not flustered anymore, so it happens. Coming isn't the only way to make ourselves soft again, it can also happen when the mood changes and we decide to cuddle instead."

Cartman wanted to thank him for the explanation, but he was embarrassed he needed one to begin with. He turned towards Butters, wrapped his arms around him, and pressed his face against his chest. Butters giggled and wrapped his own arms around Cartman's head.

"Y'know," Butters started. "At first I thought it was a joke. I didn't really get it, but I still thought it was funny, pretending you don't know all these things. Kenny was the one who told me it wasn't a joke."

"Kenny?" Cartman looked up at him.

"Mhmm. He's really perceptive, one day, out of the blue, he came up to me and said, 'Hey, take it easy on him, it's not an act.' Then I started paying closer attention, and realized he was right." Butters grinned a mischievous grin. "And now I want to be the one to teach you about these things. When you're ready, of course. And I want to learn even more stuff with you."

Cartman still had his face buried in Butters' chest, but his eyes were on the blond. He took a deep breath out of reflex, and Butters' smell sent a flutter throughout his body, and made his groin twitch. Cartman breathed him in again, exhilarated by what something as simple as Butters' scent could do to him.

"I want that too," he said, pulling away so he wasn't muffled. "I want you to teach me, no one else. Just you."

Butters cupped his face again and the two gently made out.

Cartman wanted to feel everything with him. The soft kisses sent his head and stomach spinning. Every caress and gentle cooing had his heart quivering. It was like his body was made to react to Butters, and only to him.


End file.
